


Reconcile, Part Two

by Cavatica



Series: Breaking and Entering [6]
Category: Animorphs (TV), Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Again, Andalite culture, Andalite/Yeerk Relations, Conflict, Confrontation, Cuddling, F/M, Family Issues, M/M, Making Out, Meet the Family, Relationship Discussions, war resistance movements, weird andalite parent feels, weird yeerk parenting feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8678014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cavatica/pseuds/Cavatica
Summary: Marco has reunited his family – so why is he the only one who seems to feel good about it? Ax is particularly disturbed, and doesn’t hesitate to tell Marco. Ax, with some reservations, accepts of Marco’s actions. His resolve is tested when Marco comes clean about their relationship to Eva, and she wants to have him for dinner.Still in the same continuity, but previous fics are not required reading. (Yeah, even Reconcile, Part One, this is not a direct sequel.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, our boys are fighting again.

It was kind of a relief that they were fighting. That’s what Marco told himself as he watched, his chin cupped in his hands, as his parents completely lost it over the best way to cook pasta over a campfire. The main point being, throwing it in the fire wasn’t very effective. 

They were both the type to talk with their hands, especially when they were arguing, especially Eva. She had managed to knock the dinner Peter was making into the campfire. Probably by accident. Now they were on their feet and yelling about how much this whole situation sucked (they agreed on that), how Peter had no idea about roughing it, and how Eva couldn’t just let him do something nice without taking over. On top of that, the pasta had almost put the fire out, and neither of them were great at getting it started.

Marco had to walk away. In a way, it was a good sign. For the first week his family had been reunited, it was completely awkward. Eva was still getting used to being free. Peter wasn’t over Nora. They didn’t know how to be with each other anymore. It’s not like they could just go back to the way things were six or seven years ago and pretend nothing had happened to either of them. Marco didn’t expect that, didn’t want it.

He didn’t know what he wanted, except to have his family back. And he had that, in a way. His mom and his dad, back together and fallen apart. Eva with her life returned to her and Peter with his life stolen from him. Everything equaled out. 

But fighting, that was normal. Marco only had a few bright, shining memories he was certain were Eva, but the fighting was the one thing he remembered very clearly. His parents were both passionate, opinionated people, and Eva didn’t let things go. According to Eva, Edriss had been controlling her since he was nine. After that, the fighting had stopped for the most part, and their marriage had become less dysfunctional. But it hadn’t been Eva; it was Edriss, preoccupied with her invasion plans, needing a smooth human life. Marco knew with certainty that fighting was better.

That didn’t mean it didn’t affect him, or that he needed to be there for it. He’d been hanging with them constantly since Eva was liberated -- she hardly wanted to let him out of her sight, and the feeling was mutual. But if he was honest with himself, he was exhausted. Not just by seeing his parents awkwardly getting to know each other again, or by Eva’s incredibly depressing gratitude for simple freedoms, or by Peter’s frequent emotional breakdowns he wouldn’t admit were about Nora. Marco was _really_ exhausted just by constantly having to be their son, when that role was alien to him now.

And that was what he needed -- some quality alien time. 

He walked away from the part of the valley where his parents had set up their homestead, waving a casual hello to a passing Hork-Bajir as if they were classmates in the hall. Life had become unbelievably weird, but right now the thing he couldn’t deal with was his mom and dad being back together. Funny. Not exactly funny, ha ha. 

When he had enough arbitrary privacy, he morphed osprey and flapped off toward the setting sun, flying over the familiar scenery that led to the forest near Cassie’s barn, although now he came from a different direction and a longer distance. He hadn’t been to Ax’s since the rescue -- he’d been too busy trying to establish a routine with his family and helping them communicate with the Hork-Bajir about what they wanted for the cabin that was being built for them. But something about approaching this part of the forest felt the most like coming home. 

As he descended into Ax and Tobias’ clearing, Tobias announced, ‹Marco’s here.› Privately, Tobias added, ‹He’s been kinda weird this week.›

‹Weirder than usual?› Marco asked.

‹Don’t say I didn’t warn you.› To them both, he said, ‹I’m gonna give you guys some space. See you later.›

Tobias flapped off as Marco landed next to Ax’s scoop and demorphed. He ducked into the entrance and hopped down into Ax’s living space. Ax was standing at his lime green iMac, alternating between typing and fiddling with the Z-space transponder he had wired into it. He didn’t acknowledge Marco except a single stalk eye that turned toward him. His tail blade was twitching slowly back and forth, low to the ground. 

Marco, a little unnerved, played it cool and walked up behind Ax. “Hey, can I stay here for a bit? Things are getting a little weird with my parents.”

‹Of course,› Ax said, and Marco felt a sharp edge to his thought-speak. ‹After all, you will do whatever you want anyway, so what’s the use in telling you no?›

Marco inhaled sharply through his nose. “Okay, but how do you really feel?” 

Ax whirled on him, and Marco stepped back. Ax’s big, almond-shaped eyes were narrowed and glinting a thousand dangerous shades of green. The fur on his back bristled. Ax had just demonstrated how easy it was for an Andalite to go from being a mix of weird, cute, and beautiful to freaking terrifying. 

‹Not everything is a joke, Marco,› Ax said in thought-speak that was barely more than a whisper. 

Marco put his hands up, palms facing Ax. “I get it, I’m not joking. I can _super_ tell you’re not joking. What’s wrong?”

‹Everyone thinks you acted in the moment when you were confronted with the possibility of your father’s infestation. Perhaps that is true. But I know how you work. When you made that decision, you calculated it out to the end.›

“Okay…” Marco tilted his head toward Ax. 

‹You sacrificed Nora. Intentionally. You had a chance to help her and you manipulated it so she would be enslaved. You had no regard for how your father felt for his mate.›

Marco’s mouth fell open. Suddenly his heart was loud in his ears. “I… there wasn’t enough time.”

Ax whipped his tail furiously, fast enough that the air whistled around his blade. Marco flinched -- it was nowhere near him. Ax wasn’t threatening him, he was just angry. ‹You may lie to the others, but please don’t insult me.› 

Marco’s heart was racing; his body was reacting like he was about to enter battle. He’d only ever seen Ax this angry at Visser Three. Marco hadn’t realized what a bad idea letting Ax stew on this for a week was.

“I… she’s not my mom,” Marco admitted.

Ax shook his head fervently; Marco thought he’d never looked more human as an Andalite. Marco swallowed. ‹Do you value all human lives on a two point scale from ‘completely expendable’ to ‘your mother’ with nothing in between?›

Heat rushed to Marco’s face. “I mean, there are probably a few more points.”

‹You are infuriating.›

Marco wasn’t sure where it came from -- he started laughing. It sounded rough and hollow, and he knew it was wildly inappropriate. It was like how sometimes when you’re riding a rollercoaster or you drive down a steep hill, you just laugh. Autonomic response. He suppressed the laughter after a second but couldn’t get the smirk off his face.

Ax stepped backward with just his back hooves. He looked outraged. Marco congratulated himself -- he was getting better at reading Andalites.

‹Are you _enjoying_ this confrontation?› 

Marco paused. Was he? “Maybe?” 

‹I am disturbed and upset by what you did, and you’re enjoying it?›

Marco shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”

‹What is _wrong_ with you?› Ax seethed.

“I don’t know,” Marco answered, suddenly dead serious. “You think I’ve not been thinking about this? It’s not like I knew you were going to find out we had a chance to save my mom. I didn’t have a reason to get Nora out of the way.” Marco looked at his feet. “I guess I’ve just gotten really good at dispatching invaders.”

‹Your father chose Nora as his partner. She wasn’t an invader.›

“She’s not my _mom_ ,” Marco reiterated. “Anyway, I was evacuating my dad. Yeah, I could have gone back for her, but we were being chased and the Yeerks knew where we lived. It was a calculated risk that wasn’t worth taking.”

‹I would wager your father didn’t feel the same.›

“No, but I had to protect him, Ax. He's all the family I had left, and I couldn't watch what happened to my mom happen to my dad,” Marco said. 

‹Andalites value the family unit only less than our duty to the people and our prince. What you did is despicable to me.›

“I made my family whole again,” Marco muttered. 

‹No,› Ax said adamantly. ‹You let your father’s mate be enslaved and engineered a simulacrum of what you think your family should be, and you're forcing your mother and father to play the roles.›

Marco stared at Ax, feeling like the blood had been drained out of him. 

Seeing that Marco wasn't protesting his accusation, Ax relaxed his stance, seemed to slacken, even. Marco knew that nurturing anger like that and letting it out was tiring. He briefly wondered if Ax might still be down to cuddle after this. He swallowed another fit of laughter at how messed up he was.

But after a minute of unsettling silence, Marco finally said, “Uh. Can you handle that that’s what I did?”

Ax rolled his eyes dramatically. Marco’s stomach did a flip-flop. Definitely a new gesture Ax had picked up from Marco. Definitely very cute. ‹Marco, I knew you were like this. I wasn’t aware how far you were willing to take it.›

“I sacrificed my mom too many times, Ax. I wasn’t gonna give up my dad, and I wasn’t gonna let the Yeerks kill my mom after they tortured and executed Visser One. I’ve played this game too many times to lose again.”

‹And you sacrificed Nora to get here. A pawn.›

Marco sighed. “Yes.”

‹People’s lives are not your chess game.›

There it was again, Marco’s unbidden and unsettling empty laugh. Ax subtly recoiled. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that is exactly what this war is. If I’m the one moving the pieces, I’m looking out for me.”

‹That is not honorable,› Ax said.

“Maybe your number one concern in this war is honor. Mine is staying alive, and keeping my family alive. I don’t really care how I get there,” Marco said in a bleak voice he barely recognized as his own.

Ax turned back to his computer and absently tapped a few keys. He didn’t seem to have something specific to do. Maybe Marco just overwhelmed him. 

“Let me ask again. Can you handle that?”

‹Are you worried?› Ax swiveled a stalk eye and made eye contact with Marco.

“Yeah. It’s not exactly my most flattering side.” Marco crossed his arms and scuffed his toes into the packed dirt of the scoop. 

‹You will still make the same decisions regardless of how I feel.›

Marco frowned. “Maybe. But getting you through this is also important to me.”

Ax turned back to Marco, his Andalite expression inscrutable again. ‹I am not interested in surviving at all costs. I intend to follow Prince Jake, and I am willing to sacrifice myself for the cause. But I understand your sentiment. Even if I think it is most dishonorable.›

“So we’re cool?” Marco asked.

‹’Cool’ is not descriptive for how I feel about the situation. But I will process it. I have no intention of discontinuing our relationship.›

Marco felt like Ax had conceded to him, so basically he’d won the argument. Winning, in this context, meant that they both agreed Marco was a snake and wasn’t going to change. Marco liked winning. Ax looked like a cloth that had been wrung out. Marco shook himself out, trying to unwind his muscles, and held a hand out toward Ax. Ax tilted his head, and accepted it. 

One of the most interesting things about being with Ax was the different levels of intimacy that were acceptable to Ax in his Andalite body versus his human body. The arrangement was very agreeable to Marco, who needed time to prepare for most affection -- Ax’s physical shift to human was a good signal for him. Ax showed no sign of becoming human at this point.

Ax led Marco over to the neat, braided grass seating area Ax had been working on -- Marco thought of it as his nest. He knew Ax had made it to make Marco more comfortable in his scoop, since Andalites didn’t have any traditional seating to accommodate humans. It was acceptable -- nice even, but the place really could use some furniture, since Marco didn’t have to worry about his “normal” life anymore. He made a mental note. Ax settled down into the nest and Marco sat down next to him, leaning into his side. 

The electric feeling that had been passing between them had surrendered into a familiar fog of exhaustion. Marco was mostly okay with how that confrontation turned out, but it still rattled him. Sometimes Marco thought Ax only tolerated him because he was tired of being alone and Marco wanted it. Any port in a storm. Even if Ax didn’t know he felt that way, that’s how Marco expected it would play out, if they both survived. Reunited with his own people, Ax wouldn’t have to compromise so much to deal with Marco’s unsavory side.

Marco rubbed his face on Ax’s soft upper arm fur. That was fine. As far as he was concerned, the future wasn’t real until he was living it.

Ax turned on the TV and they watched a couple episodes of _Buffy_. Ax had seen them already, and Marco was staring, unfocused, at the screen. The words sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Marco knew both of them were still stewing on what had gone down, but the show was background noise, and gave them an excuse to not have to talk anymore. That was fine with Marco. He could tell Ax was starting to relax by the shifts in his leg and shoulder muscles. Marco could still feel his own pulse throbbing in his ears and wrists; he wasn’t as quick to come down as Ax. 

Ax interrupted the silence this time. ‹I liked Nora. She was a good person.›

Marco froze and looked up at him. Ax was looking down at his hooves with his main eyes, but had one stalk eye on the scoop entrance and another on Marco. “Yeah,” Marco murmured, “I guess you did.” 

He didn’t offer any platitudes. No “maybe someday we’ll save her.” Marco wasn’t going to say it to Ax, but he was kind of invested in keeping her where she was until his parents’ relationship was back on track. Ax was right. He didn’t really care about what happened to her because it had worked out the way he wanted. Selfish. Sick. Sadistic. 

He should have felt more guilty.

He had what he wanted.

‹Why did you like it when I was upset at you? When you castigated me about my treatment of Mertil, I was very uncomfortable. But just now, you seemed excited. It was unnerving.›

Marco stared blankly at the floor of the scoop. Analyzing his feelings wasn’t as easy as his motives. He didn’t know why fighting with Ax made everything feel more real, even Marco himself, why it was kind of thrilling to be called on his shit, or why he thought Ax was so attractive when he was angry. Especially since he’d just left the Hork-Bajir valley because his parents wouldn’t stop fighting.

Oh.

“I guess I’m like my mom,” he said, finally.

‹I don’t understand, but that _certainly_ makes your mother seem less intimidating,› Ax said.

“Ha, was that sarcasm?” Marco threaded his fingers through the fur on Ax’s deerlike shoulder. “Are you intimidated by my mom?”

‹Shouldn’t I be? From everything you’ve said and the actions she took while enduring Visser One, she is a formidable woman. And please don’t be offended, but I have only interacted with her in her capacity as Visser One’s host. It is an association that will take time to dispel.›

“I guess we need to work on that, then,” Marco mused.

‹I doubt I will be able to win your mother over with simple mathematical theories, like Nora,› Ax noted.

“No,” Marco said shortly, shifting uncomfortably into Ax’s side.

‹I also feel awkward about your father. He knows about our deception and that I am obviously not from Germany. Have you discussed it?›

“Uh… no. I mean, he’s had a lot to deal with. But you guys worked together fine on the transponder.”

‹Yes, but he did not acknowledge me in the same way as an Andalite.›

“I guess we’ll have to work on that, too.” Marco was kind of uneasy about that. Peter hadn’t brought up Ax being an Andalite at all. It was a pretty big leap to be supportive of your son dating another boy to being supportive of him dating another species. 

‹Since you haven’t discussed it, I suppose your mother doesn’t know at all?›

“You’re so insightful,” Marco muttered. 

‹It is a gift,› Ax said wryly. ‹I am nervous to learn how she feels about Andalites.›

Marco turned so that his chest and arms were draped over Ax’s quadruped back. Ax had become very tolerant of being flopped on and hadn’t even mentioned how distasteful such positions were recently. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t too. But I’m not keeping you from her or anything, I’m just waiting for the right time to tell her. Like I said, things are weird.”

‹That is not a surprise,› Ax said and left it at that, since he’d made his point. 

Marco adjusted himself and wrapped his arms around the base of Ax’s humanoid torso, fitting his face into the silky fur at the small of Ax’s back. His own heart rate hadn’t slowed from earlier, but he could feel that Ax’s two pulses were steady.

“Would it be okay if I stayed here?” Marco asked again, since Ax’s initial answer had been more of an accusation.

‹Do you mean for the night? Or for an extended period?› Ax twisted around and put his hand in Marco’s hair, his fingers resting in the nook where Marco’s head met his neck. Marco hummed deep in his throat and nuzzled his forehead into the base of Ax’s spine. Ax’s fingers momentarily tightened in Marco’s hair and relaxed again, making Marco shiver from his scalp to his toes. 

“For a while. I just need some space.”

‹Stay,› Ax affirmed.

“Can you be human now?” Marco asked. 

Ax started changing, and Marco leaned back to accommodate his shifting form. He watched as Ax’s blue, teal, and tan fur smoothed out into russet skin, as his front legs were absorbed into his belly, as his tail retracted up into his spine. Eventually, Ax was fully human. He rearranged his legs a bit clumsily to sit in a more natural position.

Marco crawled forward, his knees between Ax’s legs, and put a hand on Ax’s collarbone. “Is this okay?” Marco asked. He peered at Ax through his dark eyelashes and licked his lips. Ax touched Marco’s cheekbone then pressed his palm into Marco’s cheek. Marco leaned into it. 

“It is,” Ax confirmed. Marco’s pulse thumped in his temples; he realized there wasn’t much difference in the way he felt going into battle, having an argument, and flirting. He didn’t question it.

Marco moved forward, putting more weight on Ax’s chest, forcing him to support them both with a hand braced on the grass behind him. Marco pressed his lips into Ax’s, and Ax moved his hand from Marco’s cheek to the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Ax always escalated kisses quickly, eager to get to more exciting things to do with his mouth. Not that Marco minded.

Marco had both his hands cupped on either side of Ax’s face, and Ax was nibbling his lower lip in a way that made stars burst behind Marco’s eyelids. Marco pulled back to catch his breath. Ax took the opportunity to overtake Marco’s mouth with his. 

Marco pulled in a deep breath through his nose and pushed forward against Ax’s body with his full weight. Ax let them fall onto the ground. Marco’s thighs were on either side of Ax’s hips. Marco slipped his tongue back into Ax’s mouth, and Ax clenched his hand in the hair at the base of Marco’s skull. Marco groaned, his nerves on fire, Ax’s heartbeat pounding against his own in an alternating rhythm.

‹How’s it goi -- ah!› Marco jerked upright at the sound of Tobias’ thought-speak in his head. ‹Guys! Put a sock on a tree branch or something, jeez. Thanks for demonstrating the one situation where I wish I didn’t have my own eyes.›

Panting and irritated, Marco said loudly, “Stay gone, Tobias,” and pushed Ax back down into the grass.

~*~

“You need to demorph,” Marco commented, breathless and dazed, his body overheated and tingling.

“I still have one of your hours,” Ax said next to him, his lips still brushing against Marco’s. 

“Everyone’s hours,” Marco breathed back. He rolled so his back was pressed into Ax’s chest. “And sure, but I need a break.”

Ax tightened his arms around Marco. “Could we sleep together?”

Marco tensed. “I just said I want to stop.”

“I mean like this, can we sleep? If you are staying anyway, I would like to try sleeping like this -- it is portrayed as an important ritual on TV. Tee-Vee.” Ax nuzzled his nose in Marco’s hair. 

“Oh, you want to actually sleep.” Not just sleep -- Ax wanted to spoon. Marco thought about it. He couldn’t remember ever sharing a bed with his parents. He’d shared a bed with Jake when they had sleepovers years ago. At some point, that got weird, which made sense to Marco now. “I, uh… I guess. You won’t fall asleep and get stuck in morph, will you?”

“I have never slept as a human, but I still have my innate sense of time when morphed. If it will reassure you, I can set a timer,” Ax said.

“Yeah, okay,” Marco conceded. 

Ax pulled his arm out from under Marco and crossed the scoop over to his computer. Marco squinted at the light that filled the area when Ax woke up the iMac. He hadn’t noticed how dark it had become while they were making out. 

Marco turned over onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. He watched Ax demorph and remorph, then set a two hour timer on his computer. Marco smiled that Ax wanted to reset his morph time to maximize how long they could sleep together. 

Ax lay back down next to Marco and wrapped his arms around him again. Marco settled into Ax’s embrace, using Ax’s arm as a pillow and turned his head back toward Ax’s face. Ax gave him a small kiss where his ear met his jaw. Marco shivered. 

Marco was suddenly super aware of how much he would usually move when trying to go to sleep. Let alone the hours of tossing and turning he did in the space between sleep and consciousness every night. He tried really hard to be still and convince himself sleeping with someone else was totally normal. His thoughts shifted to how common it was for him to wake up thrashing and screaming, and he suddenly had to push down panic that he was going to ruin this. 

All that aside, Marco wasn’t even sure he could sleep yet. After a while of listening to Ax breathe and worrying his own breathing was too loud, Marco had to talk. “Andalites don’t do stuff like this, right?”

“An Andalite lying on their side is probably very ill,” Ax answered.

“Yeah,” Marco confirmed. “But you guys kiss with your hands. So… uh, is that it?”

“More or less,” Ax answered indirectly.

Marco chuckled. “Andalite secrets, huh?”

“Mm.” Ax nestled his face into the crook of Marco’s shoulder. “Human ways are more enjoyable.”

“So we do two things well. Food and kissing.”

“Yes. Only those two things.”

Marco smiled and fell silent again, focusing in on Ax’s regular breathing. He could still feel Ax’s heartbeat against his back, and his own pulse throbbing through his whole body. Ax’s scoop was more peaceful than the Hork-Bajir valley, where the residents sometimes stayed up until early morning telling stories and singing songs in their own language. It was nice to have only the gentle wind and the familiar sounds of the forest to listen to. He felt Ax’s arms settle heavily around his chest and soon Marco was asleep as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco comes out to his mom and negotiates the terms of his living arrangements.

Marco hadn’t heard any alarm go off, so when the morning sun started to shine into the scoop and he remembered what was happening, he panicked. He also felt completely restrained and couldn’t move his legs. He struggled a bit before he realized what was going on.

‹Are you okay?› Ax’s Andalite arms were wrapped around Marco’s upper body and his front legs held Marco’s hips down. 

Marco managed to turn himself over so he was facing Ax’s furry blue and tan chest. This was a weird position to be in, but he’d also never really touched Ax’s long, fluffy belly fur. Now his bare knees were basically buried in the mostly tan, mottled with blue fur. He grinned and ran his hands through the shorter fur on Ax’s upper torso. 

Ax blinked slowly down at him. ‹I am going to assume you are fine, since you are feeling me up first thing in the morning.› Apparently, Ax was grumpy in the morning. Cute. 

Marco scoffed and patted Ax’s chest. “Let me up.”

Ax carefully lifted his leg off of Marco. Marco rolled out of the nest and onto his feet, brushing himself off. Ax stood up stiffly. He stretched his lower body out, almost doing a downward dog, then pulled up and straightened the full length of his spine, including his tail. 

“Sore?” Marco asked with a sympathetic half smile. Marco had slept better than he had in… might as well have been ever, considering Marco couldn’t remember the last time he slept well. He couldn’t remember any dreams and hadn’t even been disturbed by Ax growing an extra set of legs.

‹That was more comfortable when I was in human morph, but I wanted to continue. You looked content,› Ax said, looking around with lazy, blinky stalk eyes. 

“Yeah, it was nice,” Marco confirmed. “Thanks.”

‹Good morning, love birds,› Tobias said, laughing at his own bird joke. 

“Gross, Tobias,” Marco countered. 

‹Funny thing, I’m having trouble seeing today,› Tobias said casually.

‹What?› Ax said, concerned. ‹Is something wrong?›

‹No, it's just that you guys _blinded_ me,› Tobias said snidely.

‹How is that possible?› Ax said, slightly frantic.

“He’s joking, Ax.”

‹Oh. Is it funny?›

“No.” Marco winked up at Tobias.

‹I went to the Hork-Bajir valley last night way past my bedtime because _some people_ were really happy to see each other after like a week. And your parents were freaking out, Marco. I didn’t know if you’d want me to tell them where you were or cover for you, so I just, y’know. Pretended to be a bird. Which,› Tobias added, ‹is really difficult when Hork-Bajir call your name every time they see you and don’t understand ‘shh.’›

“Oh great,” Marco groaned. He looked up at Ax. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be back, though.”

‹Of course.›

Marco rubbed his tongue over his teeth and smacked his mouth open and shut. Would morphing help his gross morning mouth? He focused on his osprey. 

While he was morphing, Tobias spoke to him privately. ‹Did you guys fight?›

Marco had to wait for his osprey beak to assert itself before he could respond. ‹Ax… shared some grievances, you might say. Nothing unreasonable.›

‹That’s uncharacteristically mature of you,› Tobias commented.

‹Hey, I’ve got both my parents, and I never have to go to school again. I’m in a place that I can handle some negative feedback.›

‹You clearly made up,› Tobias said dryly.

‹Well yeah, how could you stay mad at this adorable face?› Fully morphed, Marco flapped up to Tobias’ branch and flared his wings at him. 

‹Yah!› Tobias puffed up involuntarily. Marco laughed as he banked sharply away. ‹Ugh! Marco! I wish he’d broken up with you.›

‹Pssh, no you don’t. Imagine all the trash TV you’d have to endure. All the snacks you’d have to help him steal. You’re not cut out for a life of crime.› 

‹Yeah. You’re right, that sounds like a lot of work,› Tobias admitted.

‹What are you two doing?› Ax asked as he stepped up out of his scoop, presumably on his way to do his morning ritual. 

Marco was flying away and would soon be out of thought-speak range of Tobias. Maybe not Ax. Who even knew? It’d be nice to get their long-distance call powers working reliably since Marco was spending most of his time with his parents. Marco had always intended to ask Mertil about the enhanced telepathy that Andalite mates shared and he and Ax had been able to use a couple times. He’d visited Mertil in his new home on the other side of the state park a couple times, but felt like it was still too soon after Gafinilan’s death to bring something like that up.

Marco swooped down into the Hork-Bajir valley and landed a short walk away from his parents’ camp to demorph. He took a deep breath and tried to fortify himself. He knew his dad was only able to sustain short bursts of anger and was bad at following through with punishment. His mom, though… she hadn’t been angry at him since she was freed, and he probably only knew a fraction of what she was capable of.

Maybe Ax was right to be intimidated.

Marco walked up to their encampment and was immediately rushed by his mom. He wound up like a spring as she hugged him like it was the first time she’d seen him in years -- he’d had that very hug, so he knew what it felt like. And then her hands were gripping his upper arms and she was shaking him. 

“Where were you!” Eva roared. Marco was so shocked, he flopped like a wide-eyed doll.

“Whoa!” Peter put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly. 

She let go immediately and looked at her hands, then at Marco, her mouth open. “I’m sorry,” she gasped.

Marco rubbed the side of his arm. “It’s okay, Mom, I’ve been through a lot worse.” Eva made a face like he’d struck her.

Peter sighed, looking back and forth between the both of them. “Where were you, Marco?” he asked reasonably, his tone gentle but firm.

“I just needed some space,” Marco said. “You guys did too. It’s not like I can just go to my room, in the wilderness like this.”

“That’s understandable, but you should have just taken a walk,” Peter said.

“We were worried,” Eva said. Ah, the two-parent team guilt trip. Had Marco really missed this?

“Yeah, I got that,” Marco allowed. “But you guys have to understand -- I’m fighting a war. Flying off by myself is sort of low on the list of activities you should be worried about.”

“We’re your parents. You still need to tell us where you’re going. Which you still haven’t done, by the way,” Eva pointed out. “You were just ‘flying off by yourself’ all night?”

“I was with the Chee,” Marco lied.

Peter narrowed his eyes. “One, you should have practiced that line, because it was about as convincing as every time I’ve heard ‘I was at Jake’s’ for the last three years. Two, you think hanging out with the Chee is about as relaxing as nails on chalkboard. We are not dog people.” Eva smiled wanly at Peter. Marco could tell she was proud of the father he’d become, but was also mourning what she’d missed.

Marco crossed his arms and puffed a breath out. He looked his father in the eyes. “I was at Ax’s.”

Peter’s face fell. Eva studied his face. “What? Your Andalite friend? Is that bad? Do we not like the Andalite friend?”

Peter frowned. “Marco.”

Marco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Mom. Um. Ax and I are kind of seeing each other. Like. Together.”

Eva blanked like she was having a computer error. No reaction. Marco could almost see the little hourglass turning over her head. Peter put his hand on her back and she jerked slightly. She looked back to Peter. “Did you know?”

“I didn’t know he was an _alien_ until all this happened. They said he was an exchange student.” Peter’s face and voice were serious, but Eva snorted with amusement.

Eva looked back to Marco. “Andalites are untrustworthy, self-serving, sanctimonious authoritarians. I could go on.”

Marco pursed his lips. Ran through about fifteen responses and their possible outcomes. Picked one that could go badly. “Is that what _you_ think, or is it what Visser One thought?”

“Oh, she had a lot more thoughts,” Eva said, waving her hand. “But do you think she never talked to them? God, the tedious negotiations. And they almost never did what they said they would. It’s no wonder they invented morphing technology. They’re not slippery enough as furry centaurs.”

“Well,” Marco said, “I don’t exactly disagree. Every time we end up working with Andalites, they betray us or have their own hidden agendas… or they’re psychos… But Ax has been with us since almost the beginning, and he’s sided with us over his own people every time.”

“So he’s a traitor,” Eva mused.

“Eh. It’s more like being with humans has taught him to ask questions. He wants to be loyal to his people. But we’re his people now.”

“So you agree the Andalites aren’t the good guys,” Eva ventured.

“No,” Marco confirmed. “We’re the good guys. And Ax is one of us.”

“Okay, my son is definitely infatuated with an alien,” Eva scoffed. Marco frowned, feeling dismissed. Eva looked back to Peter. “What did you think of him?”

“I liked him. He seemed to be a sweet kid. Funny, smart, polite, _super weird_ , which makes sense now. Crazy about Marco.” Peter said all this with a stony face, staring straight at Marco, who was both flushed and suddenly numb in his appendages. “Again, this was before I knew about aliens.”

“You worked with him on the Z-space transponder, too, in his real body,” Marco reminded his dad. “You got along.”

“I was in shock,” Peter said. “And I thought… maybe I thought he was just in a morph of your boyfriend Ax.”

Marco winced at the word “boyfriend,” even if it had probably been long enough to label it. “You get that he’s not now, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve been keeping up,” Peter deadpanned.

“Okay!” Eva enthusiastically clapped her hands together, startling Marco. “So this seems pretty serious! Great.” She had a slightly wild half smile that Marco recognized as something his own face did. Usually when something insane was happening. “How long have you been dating an alien exchange student?”

“Like five months,” Marco answered weakly. Awkward parental conversations were his kryptonite.

Eva let her breath out in a low whistle. “And you spent the night with him? I’m not cool with that. Are you cool with that, Peter?”

“Nope.”

“Again,” Marco said emphatically, “I’m fighting a war against the Yeerks. Mom, you know _some_ of what I’ve done. You can’t seriously be okay with that and also say I can’t stay at Ax’s.”

“You _have_ to fight the Yeerks. Believe me, if I could tell you you’re not allowed to do that, I’d be all over that. But I don’t have to be okay with you having… romantic sleepovers,” Eva said.

Marco put his hands over his face. “Okay, that makes it sound like a lot more than it is. He’s an _alien_ , we’re not _doing anything_.”

Eva lifted an eyebrow. “As if, Marco. Peter, do you believe him?”

“Ax’s human morph is really hot.” Peter’s expression was still dead serious.

“ _Dad. Please._ ”

Eva put her arm around Peter’s neck and kissed his stubbly cheek. “I trust your father, he’s got great taste.” Peter’s cheeks went ruddy and he managed a half smile.

“Oh my _god_. You guys are gross.” Marco’s parents both chuckled. Marco held his hand up and gave them a cold look. “Listen. I’m trying to be respectful. I love you both and I want you to trust me. But sometimes I’m going to need to be at Ax’s. For logistical reasons, if nothing else. I can’t be here while we’re planning missions; it takes like forty minutes to fly to Cassie’s. So I’ve gotta tell you, you’re not going to be able to stop me. I get that you’re my parents. But you can’t protect me from the Yeerks, and you can’t shelter me from… uh, y’know. Which is not a thing I’m even doing.”

Peter was frowning. Eva looked like there was a storm behind her eyes. 

“I’m just saying. I’m asking your permission out of respect. But I don’t have to. Make it easy,” Marco implored.

“You’re not giving us much of a choice,” Eva said in a chilly tone.

“No,” Marco agreed.

“I hate not having a choice,” Eva murmured darkly.

“So agree and make it seem like you had a say,” Marco advised. “I’ll tell you where I’m going, and I’ll try to tell you when I’ll be back. Don’t make me sneak around and worry you more.”

“He gets this from you,” Peter said to Eva.

“I know. It’s like an unflattering mirror,” she replied.

“Hey,” Marco objected, putting a hand on his chest. “We’re gorgeous.”

Eva laughed, but her eyes were hard. “Fine. But you _will_ tell us before you go. And if we need you, we can ask you to stay, unless it’s the end of the world.”

“When is it not?” Marco retorted.

“When you get tired of your parents and fly to your boyfriend’s to ‘not do anything’ all night,” Eva said, rolling her eyes.

“Mostly we watch TV. He’s obsessed with TV,” Marco muttered.

“Also, Toby says our cabin is going to be done in a week,” Eva said, giving Marco a significant look. “Tell Ax we’re having a housewarming party.” 

Peter’s face lit up. Marco groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ax partakes in the human ritual of "a family dinner." Eva gets a little intense and Marco has to mediate between them. At least the food is good.

“You really don’t have to cook,” Marco insisted. 

His mother had her long, wavy hair piled in a messy but elegant bun on top of her head. Roughing it suited her -- she had the adventurous glow of a model in an outdoor living magazine. His dad was doing a final look over the cabin with one of the Hork-Bajir carpenters, conversing comfortably with her, even using some words of their language he’d picked up. He was disheveled and bearded, and not in that rugged outdoor living magazine way. But still, both of his parents had started thriving in their new lives, and Marco was proud.

Eva was stirring what Marco thought was the beginning of caldo de pollo on one side of a camp stove and had rice cooking on the other side. “Your father said that Ax ate twenty-six pancakes one morning and a whole pizza in twenty minutes a few days later. I’m cooking. If you want to be useful, you can chop those veggies Cassie brought.” Under her breath, Eva added, “Poor girl, she tried her best. Sweet, though.”

Marco laughed nervously. He turned to the smooth wooden counter, where his mom had been using a spare wooden plank as a cutting board. He looked for a kitchen knife, but all he found was a pocket knife folded up next to the bag of vegetables. He unfolded it and started sawing through potatoes.

“We can call this off, you know. You guys have been working so hard; you deserve some rest. I can just fly over and tell Ax you never, ever want to meet him. And then you can avoid him when we have meetings here. Doesn’t that sound good?” 

Eva looked over her shoulder at Marco and grinned. “What are you afraid of? Didn’t your dad already thoroughly haze him?”

“Yeah, but you’re not as nice as Dad.”

Eva stage-gasped and put her hand on her chest, miming an offended expression. Then she laughed a too-exuberant, hollow laugh that reminded Marco of himself with an edge of Rachel. Chills ran up his neck. “I’m sure they teach them how to deal with protective mothers in the Andalite Academy, don’t you think?”

“Apparently there’s a ritual,” Marco said contemptuously.

“Andalites have a ritual for wiping their furry asses,” Eva responded with equal contempt.

“Do you know if they do that?” Marco asked.

“ _You_ don’t?” she said, laughing. 

“Galactic mystery,” Marco said and shakily put his pile of quartered potatoes down next to Eva.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Eva entreated, scooping the potatoes into her pot and stirring them in. “It’s not like I’m still your most deadly and competent enemy. Of course, I did learn a thing or two.”

“Mom,” Marco implored. She’d recently gotten to the “joking about being enslaved” phase. It made for awkward dinner interactions.

“Sorry,” she said. “Does your Andalite even have a sense of humor? I can’t see you with someone who doesn’t get jokes.”

“The running joke is ‘we’re not sure,’ but yeah, Ax has picked up humor,” Marco mused, picking up a carrot and carefully peeling it with the pocket knife. 

“Oh no, there’s that sentimental face you never make except when you talk about him,” Eva teased. “Gross.” Marco screwed up his face in response. Eva rolled her eyes at him.

Marco finished the carrots and started slicing habaneros. “You’re being pretty cool about this, all things considered,” he said.

“Yeah?” Eva asked. “Just wait, I’m biding my time.” Marco frowned. Eva came over to take the peppers and elbowed him. “Take a joke, Marco. Did I really teach you to only be able to dish it out?”

Eva studied Marco’s tight expression and came up behind him. She brushed her fingers through his hair like she was gathering in into a ponytail and pulled it over his left shoulder. Marco tensed as she wrapped her arms around him and put her chin on his other shoulder. She was only maybe an inch taller than Marco -- curse her strong genes.

“Relax, _mijo_ ,” she said softly, tightening her embrace. “I’ve always trusted you to make the right decisions for yourself. I’m not going to stop trusting you after you saved your dad and me. After everything you’ve done.”

Marco turned his head to try to look at her, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He wrinkled his nose and pulled away. Eva let him go and lightly shoved his arm. “I hope alien teenagers are less annoying than human ones.”

“What if that’s a universal constant? All teens have annoy their parents,” Marco said.

“Well if that’s the case, another universal constant is all parents have to embarrass their teens,” Eva replied in a voice that was almost a song.

Marco rubbed his fingers together. “I need to go wash my hands or I’ll end up blinding myself. You need any water?” Eva shook her head.

Marco left the cabin, waving at his dad, who was on his hands and knees, measuring the foundation with a stick, trying to make a point to the Hork-Bajir builder. She was shaking her head as if she thought Peter was completely foolish.

Marco walked toward the stream and as he rounded a short hill on the way, he spotted a familiar blue alien. Ax was moving his hands as if he was talking, but he was keeping his thought-speak to himself. Marco crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, wondering how long he could watch Ax before he was spotted by a wandering stalk eye. Ax made a pair of determined fists, then he let his arms fall to his sides and dipped his hoof into the stream, taking what Marco thought was an unusually long drink. Marco smiled. They were both nervous.

‹Marco!› Ax finally noticed him. Marco pushed off the tree and walked toward him. 

“You’re kind of early, huh?” Marco observed. “Better not let my mom see you -- she hates when guests arrive before dinner’s ready.” 

Ax’s tail dropped almost to the ground; the hair on his back raised like a mohawk. Marco laughed. ‹Are you trying to scare me? Please refrain, I’m already apprehensive!›

Marco shook his head. “No, I’m serious, she’d rather you were late.”

‹I’m leaving,› Ax said immediately. 

“Wait, wait. Why don’t you come help my dad see if we can get cable in our cabin?” 

‹Does it have electricity?› Ax asked.

“Nah,” Marco answered, bending down next to the stream to wash the habanero off his fingers.

‹I believe you have mistaken the required order of operations.›

“And that’s why I’m helping my mom and not my dad,” Marco said. “Think of the good impression you’ll make with all that expertise, knowing electricity comes before cable.”

‹You are mocking me.›

“Only a little. Come on.” Marco took Ax’s hand and led him back to the cabin. When Marco’s dad came into view, Ax pulled his hand away. Andalite Ax was more reserved about expressing affection in front of other people. Human Ax was less reserved than Marco. Of course, it was easier when Marco’s dad didn’t know about Andalite Ax.

Peter stood and walked toward them, leaving the Hork-Bajir notching some measurements into the side of the cabin with her arm blade. Peter’s eyes traveled from Ax’s stalk eyes to his hooves, and he frowned. “Ax. You’re early.”

Ax looked down at Marco, who shrugged in a nonverbal “told you so.” Ax’s fur was bristling again. ‹It is nice to see you again, Marco’s Dad. Thank you again for your help with the Z-space transponder.›

“It’s no problem,” Peter insisted. “You already used it to save Eva. And I like an engineering challenge.” Peter jerked his thumb at the Hork-Bajir carpenter. “Something this lovely lady seemed to intuit when she didn’t plan for any way to safely incorporate electrical wiring into this wooden house.” 

Silence settled between the three of them. Marco watched his dad’s eyes travel from Ax to Marco, and back to Ax, who shifted uncomfortably at being stared at. 

‹Is there anything I can help with?› Ax volunteered.

“Do you speak Hork-Bajir?”

‹No, but I don’t need to. Andalite thought-speech functions independently from language, and I am equipped with a standard issue universal translator.›

“Universal translator? Really? Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra, eh?” 

‹Sokath, his eyes uncovered,› Ax responded, eye-smiling in a way Marco swore was self-congratulatory. 

“What! It’s not supposed to work that way,” Peter said.

‹I have seen that episode of _The Next Generation_ several times. It’s a very optimistic interpretation of how an intercultural exchange might proceed, despite difficulties. I appreciate that about it.›

Marco breathed a sigh of relief as a wide smile spread over Peter’s face. Peter couldn’t stay mad at a fellow Trekkie. Marco thought he could see his dad’s nerdy, alien-loving side asserting itself over his suspicious, betrayed “aliens abducted my wife and are going to abduct my lying son” side. 

Peter led Ax over to the Hork-Bajir carpenter, and she immediately started ignoring him in favor of speaking to Ax, who they all knew was Tobias’ best friend, and thus, a part of the family. Peter put his hands on his hips and gaped as she launched into a fluent chatter in a mix of English, galactic common, and Hork-Bajir. Ax nodded and looked appropriately concerned.

Marco turned back to the cabin and saw Eva looking out the window. He grit his teeth, took a slow breath in through his nose, and blew it out through his mouth. He went back inside.

“Do you need anything else, Mom?”

She was still looking out at Ax. “Is he cute, for an Andalite? Do you even know?”

Marco shrugged. “I dunno. What’s the standard? ‘Oh, your fur has a healthy sheen and your stalk eyes are so active. _My_ , what a _fine_ tail blade’?”

Eva glanced over at Marco, a small smile playing on her lips. “I guess that is a pretty fine tail blade.”

“So you _don’t_ need help with anything else?” Marco walked back to the makeshift kitchenette, trying to get Eva to stop watching Ax through the window. She didn’t follow him.

“It’s all under control. Nothing left to do but watch our boys work,” she said sarcastically. She was leaning down with her elbows on the windowsill, looking like a dreamy teenager. Warmth spread through Marco’s body. A few weeks ago, he thought he was more likely to see her dead than free. Let alone happy. Marco didn’t care if everyone else in the world thought he was a monster, even Ax -- he had his mom back. 

He came up beside Eva and mimicked her pose. She looked at him like she was surprised and had expected him to continue being a surly teen. He leaned his shoulder against hers. Encouraged, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her side. 

Marco looked out at his dad and Ax. The Hork-Bajir had left, and Peter was gesticulating like he did when he was excited about something. Ax was nodding attentively. Marco noticed one of Ax’s stalk eyes was focused on him so he smiled. Ax smiled back, still focusing his main eyes on Peter. 

“The valley is beautiful, isn’t it?” Eva asked. 

“Huh?” Marco let his eyes focus into the far distance to take in the mountains rising up around them, with lines of trees snaking up and into the distance. “Yeah, it is.”

“You really were just staring at that Andalite, huh?” Eva teased. Marco blushed. Eva looked back out the window, her eyes rising to the sky. “You know what’s better than boys? Freedom.” 

Marco had a sudden flashback to Ax’s accusations. He tried to push out the unwelcome images of what the Yeerks would have done to Nora, how they extracted information, and the undeniable fact that there was one of them seeped into all the corners of her helpless mind now. All because she'd been unlucky enough to get involved with Marco's family. If she'd picked someone else, she would still be free. 

Marco swallowed and nodded in response to Eva, shifting closer to her and telling himself it had all worked out. He’d made a trade, and he’d gotten the much better side of the bargain.

Eva and Marco turned in sync to the sound of the door opening. Peter toed his shoes off in the doorway and held the door for Ax. Cassie had brought them a welcome mat that had tropical flowers printed on it and said “Welcome to Paradise.” Eva thought it was hilarious. Ax politely wiped his hooves on it before stepping inside. 

Peter’s eyes scanned Eva and Marco. “Are you guys having some kind of sincere moment? I thought you two were only allowed to be smarmy,” Peter joked.

Eva straightened herself up walked over to them breezily. “Joke’s on you -- we were just brainstorming how to heckle you next time you try to tell aliens how to do their jobs.” 

“There we go,” Peter said.

Eva turned to Ax. “I know we’ve met, but I’ve been in various states of distress or captivity every time. I’m Eva. Do you shake hands?”

‹I have done it many times. Would you like to?› Ax asked.

Eva extended her hand, and Ax accepted the gesture. “What’s your full name?” she asked.

‹Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill,› he responded.

“Never heard of you,” Eva said sharply. “You’re military, though, aren’t you? What’s your rank?” Her tone gave Marco chills. He’d heard her speak like that before, and it hadn’t been her.

‹I am just an _aristh_ , not yet a full warrior. Marco and I are roughly equivalent, in Earth years.› Ax was maintaining steady eye contact with Eva, but his stalk eyes were fixated on Marco. Marco still couldn’t read emotion from Ax’s stalk eyes at all, but he felt like the sentiment was probably “help!”

“Mom?” Marco said cautiously.

Eva let go of Ax’s hand but still had an uncomfortable air of authority. Even Peter was shifting uneasily. “So, was it you that did this? Got Marco involved?”

‹You mean, did I give them morphing technology?› 

“We could morph before we met Ax.” Marco cut in, getting between his mother and Ax. “We rescued him from his crashed ship, at the bottom of the ocean. As dolphins.”

‹My brother Elfangor gave them the ability to morph. I felt a sense of duty because of this connection, but I am dedicated to the war effort regardless,› Ax elaborated.

“Elfangor,” Eva murmured. She looked far away. “Yes. Visser Three didn’t shut up about that for weeks.” 

Ax cringed and Marco took in a sharp breath. Peter looked awkwardly between all three of them. “Oookay, Ax, morph human,” Marco said. “Mom, let’s get some fresh water.” 

Marco grabbed Eva’s hand and led her outside, back toward the stream. Eva dropped down next to the water and splashed her face. “You okay?” Marco asked.

“I -- I think so.” She sounded shaky.

“So, maybe when we get back, try to stay away from the subject of how his brother was eaten alive. In front of me. The weather is a pretty safe topic. Ask him about what Andalites call the reflection of the moon in a lake or something.”

Eva was still on her knees, leaning over the stream and staring at her wavering reflection. Marco reached out a hand and helped her back to her feet. 

“Sorry,” she muttered. “It’s not him, it’s me.”

“I’m sure he understands. We all do,” Marco reassured. He took measured breaths as they walked back to the cabin. 

Eva had been strong, so far. This was the closest she’d come to cracking, even though Visser One had been half-dead inside her, probably well into the Fugue. Marco looked over at her, studying her face. Her jaw was set; she looked guarded, calculatedly neutral. She looked like Marco. There was no way she wasn’t screaming inside, too.

Fuck the Yeerks for what they’d done to both of them.

He took his mother’s hand again. She squeezed.

When they got back inside, Ax was in his alarmingly pretty human morph. Peter had given him some of his extra clothes. He stood over the pot of caldo, holding the lid open just a crack to get a faceful of aromatic steam. His freckled cheeks were rosy, probably both from the warmth and his excitement about food.

“Dad warned you about the food thing?” Marco asked.

“Yep, twenty-six pancakes,” Eva reminded.

Peter came over and put an arm around Eva in a brief half-hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Ax closed the lid of the soup.

“I am still Aximili,” he explained helpfully to Eva. She feigned shock. “When will this food be ready to consume?” Marco watched Ax mouth “soom” a couple more times, but he didn’t vocalize it.

“Well,” Eva said, “you arrived about an hour earlier than we agreed on. It probably needs another half hour. And really, it’s best the next day, but we don’t have a refrigerator out here. So I guess you’ll have to finish it.” 

Ax’s face lit up.

“So, do you spend most of your time with Marco in human morph?” Eva asked. She sounded casual, but her sharp eyes were studying Ax from top to bottom. Marco’s hands were sweating. 

“No,” Ax answered truthfully. “I think I spend the most time in my true body. I become human when we are eating and when we --” Marco suddenly started coughing “ -- when we go out in public, which is less now that Marco is legally deceased.”

“You don't prefer his human morph?” Eva asked, looking at Marco.

“No. Ax is an Andalite. I’m not going to ask him to be something he’s not all the time.” Marco shrugged. Ax smiled.

Eva turned back to Ax. “Isn't there an Andalite taboo against fraternizing with aliens?”

“Yes. But I crossed that taboo when I accepted Jake as my prince.” Ax squirmed. “I don't believe I am explicitly breaking any laws, but I have broken many since coming here, so it seems moot to let high command dictate my relationships. ‘Moot’ is a very amusing word.”

Eva looked impressed. Marco was honestly kind of surprised, too. He couldn’t be sure that was how Ax would still feel when it really came down to it, but it was nice to hear. It sounded sincere.

“Well, so far, you’re the most polite and tolerable Andalite I’ve met,” Eva allowed.

“I have met many polite and tolerable humans. I am very fond of your species.” 

“Yes, you certainly seem to have familiarized yourself with our _species_ ,” Peter said, glancing at Marco. Peter continued, “Do you remember when I thought you were human and I asked if you planned to go to college here?” 

“I do remember. I apologize for my earlier deception. I was undercover.”

“Yeah, you were very convincing as a German exchange student. We didn’t suspect anything was off about you,” Peter said. There was a fifty-fifty chance Ax caught the sarcasm. He had a high opinion of his human-passing skills. “So, since you’re not undercover anymore, I can ask this as a real question -- are you planning to stay when this is over?”

“Dad,” Marco scolded. “He was just saying how we’re polite and tolerable.”

“I was perhaps not specifically referring to present company,” Ax said. Eva snorted. 

“Don’t answer that, Ax,” Marco said. He didn’t want to know the answer. “Can we all try to chill?”

“What _do_ Andalites call the reflection of the moon in a lake?” Eva mused, winking at Marco.

Ax’s eyebrows raised. “Oh! What an intriguing question. The homeworld has four moons, so we would refer to such imagery based on the configuration of the visible moons and how they reflected. As Earth only has one moon, I suppose you would call it _enos elehar_ or _enos eluna_ , to use the Earth name. Of course, other factors could change this, such as if the lake was frozen. Unfortunately, the climate in this particular Earth location is too warm to observe this phenomenon.”

Peter was leaning toward Ax. “Four moons?” Ax nodded proudly. “What are some other features of your homeworld?”

This was a conversation Ax could get into. Like all Andalites Marco had ever met, Ax had a tendency toward arrogance and bragging. Marco could tell Ax was careful to not reveal any Andalite secrets, but he was happy to discuss their binary star, the large central ocean and the smaller southern ocean, the mountainous Untouched Wilds, and the large varieties of plants and trees the Andalites had cultivated to serve scientific and social purposes, much in the way that humans domesticated different animals. Peter was entranced. Marco remembered Ax’s dome ship, so he was at least familiar with some of what Ax was talking about. 

Eva, who didn’t share Peter’s sense of wonder at aliens, seemed to check out almost immediately and walked over to stir the stew. Marco gave her some space but decided to join her when Ax started in about how difficult his fur was to maintain in this climate versus the much milder climate of the region he was from. Marco had already listened to Ax complain about his undercoat enough.

“You okay?” Marco asked.

“Yeah. I think I still wish it would have been Jake.” Eva bent forward to taste her food. 

“Pfft!” Marco exclaimed. “Maybe not if you’d spent any time with him lately. Ax is like the only good thing I’ve got going.” Eva looked at him sharply. “Until I saved you, I mean.” Marco felt his cheeks burn and wrinkled his nose. 

Eva’s mouth twitched; she didn’t seem to know how to settle her face. Finally, she sighed. “Well. Your dad has warmed back up to him, anyway. Leave it to Peter to be excited about an alien son-in-law.” Marco made a choking sound and Eva grinned.

Eva retrieved the four bowls she’d asked Cassie to bring, spooned out some rice into each bowl, and served the caldo de pollo over it. She garnished each bowl with a lime wedge and put a plastic spoon in each one. 

“Dig in!” she proclaimed and took her own bowl.

They all sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor, Ax a little more awkwardly than everyone else. A weird calm settled over Marco. He took it in, trying to sear this into his memory -- both his parents, Ax, his mother’s actual home cooking, a roof over his head, no fear. He almost felt suspicious, it was so perfect. He had to force himself to remember Ax’s feelings about what he’d done to even accept that it was real and not some Ellimist trick. Marco did this. And it wasn’t perfect, by a long shot. But it was his.

Peter gave a small groan of appreciation at the food. “This is great, Eva, thank you.”

“Better than that instant oatmeal we’ve been subsisting on, huh?” Eva said, her eyes glinting with continued amusement.

“Ugh,” Marco objected, feeling a shiver run down his arms. “I told you not to eat that -- there’s no way it’s not expired, and Rachel was a jerk for bringing it.” 

“This food is extraordinary!” Ax yelled. Eva and Marco both jumped -- identical exaggerated startle response, what a charming new family trait. Marco put his hand over his chest, feeling his heart race and knowing he’d be keyed up for a while.

“Thanks,” Eva said, shifting closer to Peter and taking a deep breath.

“I am rarely able to see the familial similarities in humans. Prince Jake and Rachel share very few common physical traits. But Eva and Marco have easily observable shared characteristics,” Ax commented between voracious bites. “Clearly one of those traits is superior cooking ability!”

“Did you learn to cook, Marco?” Eva asked, surprised. “I should have made you do this.”

“Well, he’s kind of exaggerating and he’s also kind of a garbage disposal,” Marco said flatly. 

“You shouldn’t call your boyfriend a garbage disposal,” Peter scolded.

“I am not offended, some of what humans call ‘garbage’ is perfectly edible.” Ax got up for seconds while Peter and Eva exchanged incredulous glances. Marco sighed.

“And they make themselves out to be so high and mighty,” Eva mumbled.

Ax sat back down, and for a few minutes, the only sounds were plastic clinking against melamine and the slurping of broth.

“Do Andalites have family dinners?” Peter asked. Marco rolled his eyes at his dad’s complete inability to stop interrogating Ax.

“Hm,” Ax said thoughtfully. He glanced out the window. “Not as you would envision. But yes, under normal circumstances, having an evening stroll or run together would be considered standard. My mother and brother were usually away, though, so it was mostly just my father and me.”

“Elfangor was off fighting the Yeerks,” Eva surmised, ignoring Peter’s confused expression at how a run was equivalent to dinner. “What was your mother doing?”

Ax, still looking out the window, shook his head. “She was usually fighting the concept of fighting the Yeerks,” he said darkly.

Marco glanced over at Ax. He only knew about Ax’s mother because Mertil had told him. Ax hadn’t even mentioned her by name to Marco. 

“Are you saying your mother was one of those Andalite war resisters?” Eva asked, putting her spoon down and leaning forward.

“You know about that?” Ax looked at her, surprised. “Yes, she’s a writer. She’s sort of… a thing.” He sounded reluctant and embarrassed. Marco was surprised -- Marco wasn’t even an arrogant Andalite, but if he had a famous mother, he would brag about her. He looked up at his mom and reconsidered -- after all, she was famous, in a way.

“Edriss was very interested in the Andalite resistance movement. She thought they were the perfect targets for an Andalite homeworld infiltration,” Eva explained.

“Ugh,” Ax said with disgust, shaking his head. “That is not surprising. My mother constantly petitioned the Electorate because she said she was being silenced by high command, but of course the Yeerks targeted her. I hope she is okay; I haven’t spoken to my father in almost three years.” 

“What’s her name?” Eva asked.

“Forlay-Esgarrouth-Maheen.”

Eva’s mouth fell open. “No way. I thought Esgarrouth was just the ‘Smith’ of Andalite names.”

“You know of her,” Ax said flatly.

“Edriss read all of her work. I couldn’t read whatever language it was in, so no comment on the quality.” Ax was staring blankly at the floor, completely still. Eva squinted at him and added, “As far as I know, she never spoke to any Yeerks. Edriss tried to contact her, and if you’re going to work with the enemy, you can’t get much better.”

“Visser One was a fan of my mother’s,” Ax said in a strangled voice. “It’s fortunate she never answered her own fan communications. I love my mother, but she’s been a deep source of shame my entire life.”

“You know, Aximili,” Eva said gently, “it’s not inherently shameful to protest the military. Especially if you think they’ve overstepped their role in society.”

“It’s our duty to fight the Yeerks,” Ax said. “We must finish what we started. I am not surprised humans can’t understand.”

Marco and Peter were staring uncomfortably at each other. No one was eating anymore; they were barely breathing, the tension was so high.

“Actually,” Eva said, crossing her arms and leaning back, “I think I probably understand better than you think. My father was a university professor during the conflict in Guatemala. He was taken by the National Police when I was seventeen, and I never saw him again. I had to leave the country five years later.”

Ax’s brow furrowed, and he seemed to shrink. “I… I’m sorry.”

“I can’t tell you how to feel about your mother,” Eva said, “but I do know what she’s doing is important and dangerous. Not just because she’s on the Yeerks’ radar. I hope you’re able to go home to her someday.”

“Yes, me too.” Ax was shifting uncomfortably. His eyes moved rapidly between his hands, the floor, and the view of the outdoors through the window. He put his bowl down and stood. “I’m sorry, I have to leave. Thank you for the food.” He practically ran out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco waits for Ax at his scoop, Tobias knows way more than Marco about Ax's family situation but doesn't give much away, and there are really no clear answers in the end. When are there ever?

Marco sighed. He debated following, but Ax was probably already morphing and there was no point. He’d just meet him at the scoop.

“Well. You were certainly more awkward than me,” Peter told Eva as he stacked the bowls and took them back to the counter. 

“First time for everything,” she snarked. She turned to Marco. “I wasn’t trying to antagonize him. I’m sorry that went so badly.” Eva was frowning, and her eyes begged for Marco’s reassurance.

Marco was quick to provide it. “No, you had no way to know he was so sensitive about his mom. It’s fine. It’s Dad’s fault anyway for always trying to pry about his parents,” Marco chided in a low voice.

“Hey!” Peter objected. “Parents are naturally interested in other parents. Especially alien parents.”

“Come on, Dad, best case scenario, he’s not talked to them in three years and he gets sad. Not smooth.”

“Well, tell him I’m sorry, and I’ll keep it light next time,” Peter said.

“Yeah, if there is a next time,” Marco muttered.

“I’m up for a next time,” Eva volunteered. “He’s still pretty indoctrinated, but he’s not as bad as most Andalites.”

“A ringing endorsement. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. I’m gonna go talk to him.” Marco added, “And if I don’t come back tonight, don’t worry.”

Eva sighed heavily and nodded. Marco headed for the door, but as he was closing it, he overheard his dad say, “You… you really know a lot about aliens, huh?”

“Yeah, Peter, I do,” Eva responded, sounding tired.

Marco shut the door, a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. His parents were dealing with this situation with such different levels of understanding and acceptance, it was no wonder they were fighting so much. It definitely didn’t mean anything. Peter would catch up. He’d never have the experience Eva or Marco had, and that was a good thing.

Marco spotted the clothes Peter had given Ax, which Ax had stripped off on his way back to his Andalite body. Marco picked them up, folded them as neatly as he ever folded anything (okay, he wadded them up), and put the pile in front of the door. He peeled off his own somewhat dirty outer garments and put them on the pile as well.

He pictured his osprey and the changes began immediately. He glanced back at the cabin and felt his skin crawl as he spotted Eva watching him morph. His vision sharpened as his eyes changed, so her face came into deeper focus like a camera lens slowly adjusting, until he could see the worry lines around her eyes and the deepening creases around her frown. He flapped away as soon as it was possible, not even sure if the morph was complete. 

He didn’t want to think for the forty minutes it took to fly home and retreated back behind the osprey’s brain. Marco had never been able to slow down enough to meditate -- he always started in on that cycle about thinking he was thinking and thinking about thinking about thinking. Sometimes it was nice to be uncomplicated. He rarely felt like he got Tobias, but on this level, he could see it. Marco rode the bird like he was on autopilot, his mind in a far off place, until he realized he’d followed the river out of the valley and was cruising the edge of the ocean looking for fish.

Annoyed, he turned around, berating himself that he’d doubled his forty minute trip. He forced himself to stay present, even if it meant replaying the catastrophic family dinner over and over. He didn’t even know who to blame for it going so badly. Everyone just reacted to each other in all the wrong ways. The only option was to blame himself. It was too soon. Eva wasn’t ready. He should have set more boundaries. He should have had Ax morph before he met her to ease her into it. He could list his mistakes all night.

It was hard not to compare it to all the times Ax had had dinner with Peter and Nora. It had been so easy for Ax to talk to Nora, to make both her and Peter laugh, to impress them both with his weird sense of humor and surprising knowledge of their respective fields. He couldn’t see Ax winning Eva over anytime soon, and the only laughter in the cabin so far had been the uneasy kind. 

It was only different because they knew Ax was an alien now. Right?

Rattled, Marco did a barrel roll and banked toward the scoop, tipping onto his side to spiral down into the clearing and land in a tree opposite the entrance. With Ax’s foliage upgrades, it was impossible to see if he was in there.

‹Ax?› Marco called.

‹He’s not here,› Tobias answered. ‹Nice flying, by the way. Very flashy.›

Marco fluttered down into the scoop and landed on the La-Z-Boy he’d grabbed off the side of the road in the middle of the night. Gorilla trash pickup -- it’s a specialty service. Your tax dollars at work. Tobias was right, of course. No Ax. ‹Has he been here?›

Marco started demorphing because he was close on time and was a small half-bird boy sitting petulantly on the chair when Tobias flew in. 

‹Whoa!› Tobias flared his wings in surprise, then tried to pass it off as just how he decided to land. He came to rest on top of Ax’s TV. ‹Yeah, no, he’s not been here since this morning. I take it your family dinner went poorly?›

Marco squawked, then waited for his mouth to finish. “Good guess. Got any more good guesses about where he could be?”

‹Sure.› Tobias preened. ‹But if he wants to be alone, who am I to tell you where he might be?›

“Why does it have to be you? Why can’t his best friend be Cassie, who would totally disrespect his right to privacy out of concern for him?” Marco drew his legs up into the chair, accepting he was just going to have to wait it out without Tobias’ help.

‹I would say he has good taste, but that doesn’t account for why he likes you, so I guess he’s just lucky,› Tobias quipped.

Marco rolled his eyes. “Clearly he just has a thing for smartasses.”

Tobias actually laughed. ‹So what happened? Did Ax eat the flatware? Or worse than that?›

“Nah,” Marco shook his head. “He was actually kind of on best behavior. He got a little freaked out that my mom was familiar with his mom.”

‹What? Really?› Tobias cocked his head with interest and leaned forward.

“Oh, right. That’s your grandma. You know how weird you are, right?” Marco scoffed.

‹I’m aware,› Tobias answered. ‹Ax has a weird relationship with his mom. She’s like, the Yoko Ono of Andalites or something.›

“Please tell me Ax’s dad isn’t the Andalite John Lennon and she didn’t break up the Andalite Beatles,” Marco moaned.

‹Y’know, Yoko Ono had a whole career before she married John Lennon and the Beatles broke up for a lot of reasons that had nothing to do with her,› Tobias said snobbily. Marco made a “blah blah blah” hand motion. Tobias sighed. ‹But no, I think Ax’s dad is just a nerd. It sounds like he’s like… her distributor? He’s a Z-space communications scientist or something. So your mom…›

“Visser One apparently read all her stuff. Ax found that pretty upsetting.”

‹Oh, sure,› Tobias said. ‹But like… she’s not a traitor or anything? Visser One was just researching, right?›

“Something like that,” Marco said, curling up even further into the chair. 

He hated picturing Visser One using his mother’s eyes to read Forlay-Esgarrouth-Maheen’s bibliography or poetry anthology or zine or whatever, in a language Eva couldn’t even read. He hated even more that he thought he knew Visser One well enough to know her motivations. He remembered how intense Eva had gotten about literature in the last couple years before her disappearance -- it was unlike her. Like Marco, she’d always been restless -- not that she wasn’t smart or didn’t like to read. She just preferred a good book on tape or short story or movie adaptation. She had things to do.

But at some point, all of a sudden -- and now it wasn’t mysterious at all -- she’d started devouring books. Novels, short stories, mythology, poetry -- she read everything. They still had all three of her bookcases when Marco and Peter had faked their deaths. Marco thought Visser One would have justified it to herself as research -- know your enemy, learn about their culture so you can exploit it. But he’d crawled up and nestled into her side and fallen asleep next to her enough that he could picture her face as clear as if it was still in front of him -- her slight smile and heavy eyelids, rimmed with the same thick lashes he had, peaceful and content. Visser One read for pleasure. He had no doubt she wanted to see if she could use Forlay and her movement in some way. But he was equally assured that she just liked her work.

He rubbed his arms, trying to ease the skin crawling sensation he’d given himself. He’d never hated anything in the galaxy more than he hated Visser One. And he’d never loved anyone more than who he thought she was when she was inside Eva. His warm, happy memories of Eva had almost all twisted into sick, chilling violations. Even the ones he was pretty sure were really her, he had to question and analyze -- _how old was I? Is this a safe one? Was it her?_ He was almost sad Visser One was dead, because his dreams of killing her again and again weren’t nightmares. He couldn’t understand how Eva talked about her more like a roommate she hadn’t gotten along with. 

He kind of understood how that might freak Ax out.

Tobias eventually excused himself to hunt, leaving Marco alone to wait it out for Ax. He looked around the scoop, thinking of watching some tube or browsing the Net. Both of those things were things he couldn’t do at the Hork-Bajir valley, but both of those things were also more fun with Ax around. He reached over the arm of the chair into the backpack of his own things he’d brought and grabbed his CD player. He looped his headphones over his ears, reclining the old dumpy chair. He curled up on his side and mouthed the words to the Tool song that started when he pressed play. 

After a few songs, he decided he wasn’t feeling it and bent over the arm of the chair to dig in his bag for his CD case. He saw motion out of the corner of his eye and turned just in time to see Ax land gracefully, having taken a running leap into the scoop. 

‹Marco,› Ax said, unsurprised.

Marco took off the headphones, still able to hear the loud music playing through them in a tinny drone. He looked down and realized he didn’t really need to take off the headphones, since Ax’s voice was in his head, but then again, he probably shouldn’t yell at him, either.

“Hey,” Marco said. “Sorry that was weird. My mom’ll get better.”

‹What if she doesn’t?› Ax said coldly. Marco frowned. ‹I’m not saying I’m unable to deal with her as she is. I never knew her. But I wonder if you really accept that perhaps she has been permanently altered. The same as you.›

“Obviously,” Marco said, feeling heat rising to his chest. “I’m not saying she’s going to be the same as she was before. I’m just saying… it’s all really fresh. She’ll deal.”

‹I wasn’t that bothered by her, overall. I reacted as I did because of the intrusively personal nature of the conversation,› Ax explained in that particular snooty Andalite tone he took when he was claiming cultural superiority. He was trying to excuse his behavior as some Andalite etiquette thing, instead of the reality, that he got emotional and overwhelmed. 

“Yeah, sure,” Marco said, trying to ignore Ax’s tone and control his own in response. “It’s weird to picture our two moms connected by Visser One like that. And having my mom explain your mom was a target.”

‹To say the least.› Ax’s inscrutable main eyes focused in on Marco sharply. ‹Have you considered how we might use her? She obviously has deep knowledge of the Yeerks’ plans and forces.›

Marco’s shoulders stiffened. “Don’t you think she’s been used enough? She’s done her time.”

‹We need her intelligence. You wouldn’t object if she wasn’t your mother. In fact, you would be the first to suggest it.›

Marco bristled. “But she is my mom, and she’s free to do what she wants.”

‹What if she wants to help? Your father helped with the transponder.›

“My dad hasn’t been a slave for seven years,” Marco said. “Look, Ax, she’s okay with talking about it to a limited degree, but what do you want to do, invite her to our meetings?”

‹Yes,› Ax said simply. ‹Her insight and experience are valuable. She already is the way she is. You shouldn’t pretend otherwise.› Marco glared at Ax. Ax took a different tack. ‹What if helping us helps her?›

“Can we drop this?” Marco said, finally. 

‹Fine.› Ax started messing around on the computer but was clearly not ready to drop it. ‹You know you’re fooling yourself,› he accused after a minute of tension.

“Am I?” Marco growled, his heart pounding.

‹If you think things can be normal. You’re in the eye of the storm.› Ax was only looking at Marco with one stalk eye, which Marco knew was dismissive.

“What do you know?” Marco asked, his voice louder and more defensive than he meant it to be.

‹I know you’re too intelligent to believe your own farce, and I know I was right about it,› Ax said smugly. A shared compulsion toward saying “I told you so” was not a peaceful trait for a couple to have in common. This time, it wasn’t cute -- Marco felt fury rise in his throat.

“Ax, look at me,” Marco demanded, his cheeks flushed. Ax turned to face him. “You don’t know shit about my family.”

‹I know you have a father who is a scientist. Just like me. And I know you have a mother who is a warrior,› Ax paused. He had to force out the next thought, like he could barely accept he was saying it. ‹Just like me. It’s too late to protect her. Let her fight. She’s earned it.›

“Maybe,” Marco allowed. “But I just got her back.”

‹You have to accept that maybe you’ll never truly have your mother back,› Ax said.

“I don’t _have_ to do anything,” Marco retaliated. 

‹I suppose that is true. You will always do just what you want. I’ve said everything I intend to say now. If you would like to bring this very awkward night to a conclusion, I will see you later?› 

Marco hesitated. He looked at the ground, then out the scoop exit, where he could see it was mostly dark. “Do you want me to leave?”

‹I don’t want to argue anymore, and I assumed you would leave when we were finished. Is that not the case?›

Marco glanced sideways, refusing to meet Ax’s intense gaze, even though he’d asked for it. “Can I stay? It’s weird there,” he admitted.

Ax relaxed, letting his head dip to one side. Marco felt a warm feeling from him, although he wasn’t sure how to define it. ‹Would you like to watch TV?›

“Yeah,” Marco said, climbing out of the chair to join Ax in front of the television. He was shaking. He didn’t know if it was because of what Ax had said or because he really, really didn’t want to go back to his parents’. He didn’t want Ax to win this one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks forever and ever to [fairkidforever](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fairkidforever/pseuds/fairkidforever) whose betas and comments are a constant source of encouragement. Their work [you have your mother's name](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8026624) partly inspired chapter 2, so please go read it and everything else they've written. Thanks also to everyone who gives me kudos and comments. I love feedback like Yeerks love Kandrona. As in, I need it to live.


End file.
